Time Means Nothing to Me
by Arwen17evenstar
Summary: What was Briton like during the time of the Old Ways before the Romans came to conquer? Queen Mab "Time means nothing to me. I have the precious gift of patience." Merlin 1998 movie BBC Hallmark, Miranda Richardson, Sam Neill
1. Chapter 1

**Ancient History Part 1**

They were in the midst of building another great monument to Her greatness. Most of the stones had been raised into the circle now, only a few more to go, and this sacred place would be ready for worship. Cal ran his fingers through his hair and ordered a break in the work. The builders rested everywhere within the circle passing around water and food. Cal glanced up and out over the horizon. The endless grassy fields stretched as far as the eye could see under the clear blue sky. This new monument would be visible for miles around. Cal hoped it would please Her.

* * *

"Milord, the new strangers, have set up camp not far from Sarum." a fearful servant informed Cal.

"Have they shown any aggression towards towards the people working there?" Cal asked.

"No, milord, but it makes the workers very uneasy. These strangers do not look friendly."

"We will wait and see. I do not want to start a war with anyone if I don't have to." Cal decided.

"Other strangers have come to our shores before and they eventually blended into our own people peacefully."

* * *

His horse strolled leisurely through the land. He was not leading the Wild Hunt until tonight. He took in the breadth and beauty of the rich land about him. Briton was truly one of the richest lands in the world and the most peaceful. There was no leader. There were many different nomadic tribes that roamed the land. They rarely made permanent settlements. Only shrines to the Old Ways were stationary. The different tribes were united in a common goal to live with the land. And the land peacefully accepted them.

Idath, Lord of Death, approached a river and allowed his horse to stop and take a drink. His eyes followed the singing birds as they flew past him. Suddenly, he noticed a woman sitting in the sun on the banks of the river not far from him. He curiously approached her as quietly as possible. He closed the distance between them and noticed she had her eyes shut and seemed to be deep in thought.

She wore a turquoise blue dress and was currently barefoot. Her porcelain skin skin seemed to glitter strangely in the sunlight. The wind blew through her long raven-colored hair as he moved closer, enchanted by her beauty. He was a foot from her when she open her eyes and looked at him. Her emerald green eyes seemed to pierce him right through to the back of his skull so intense was her stare. "Milady, I am so sorry to interrupt. But I was curious as to what you were doing?" He held out his hand.

She looked at him a moment longer and then took his hand and he helped her to her feet. "I was only enjoying the beauty of today." her melodic voice spoke.

Idath thought he could hear the sound of wind chimes behind her words. "And you, Lord of Death, what are you doing here? The Wild Hunt is not until tonight." she questioned, eyebrow raised.

"I was only passing through and decided to stop to admire the scenery." Idath bravely pulled her closer to him than was appropriate.

"I see." she pulled herself out his grasp. "That's lovely. But Beltaine starts tomorrow, not today." And she vanished.

Idath smiled.

* * *

Cal laughed as one of the younger ones tripped during the dance. The children spun around and around the may pole as his servant poured more wine into his goblet. There had been laughter, singing, and dancing all day. It was the summer solstice. A special day to celebrate another turning of the wheel of the year. Cal glanced over at their Queen seated nearby. She had flowers braided in her hair and was surrounded by some brave children who had dared to get close and speak to her.

Her laughter rang in the air from time to time, pure and clean and joyful. She had been pleased with the monument at Sarum. Though that was no surprise really, She was almost always pleased with them. They could do no wrong as far She was concerned. They loved her.

Soon the sun had set, the children went to bed, and the adults began to wander away in groups of two or three. She wandered away from the celebrations by herself into the night. "Milady.."

She turned and found Idath standing behind her. She smiled lazily. He pulled her close. "My queen, My love, Mab..."

The made love together, all night, on the ground in a field of flowers.


	2. Chapter 2

**Ancient History Part 2**

**Centuries later....**

Blood at been spilt on Sarum. Sgaith's hand tightened on the hilt of his sword. War had come to a land that had never known it. These new strangers...these Romans were not content to become one with the land. They wanted to destroy the land and its current people. They could not be negotiated with because they had come to conquer and defeat. Sgaith cursed them again. Blood on Sarum...Such a thing had never happened before anywhere. Even when the nomadic tribal leaders disagreed with one another, they would never defile a sacred place. And their Queen...

She had mourned so heavily. Never had She lost her people to the sword before. Natural death She was accustomed to, but not violent, premature death.

But grief was fast turning to anger within Her as well as her people. They had reaped bloody vengeance upon the Romans responsible for the attack. But it had only triggered another group of Romans to retaliate and one thing had lead to another. Suddenly, they had found themselves trapped in an insolvable conflict that was growing worse by the day.

* * *

Idath had attempted to ease the wounds of her heart. Sometimes she seemed like her old self. When she was happy, she would sing heartfelt, beautiful songs for him. Her voice was bewitching, smooth, and powerful. It could drive an ordinary man to insanity with unfulfilled desire.

But sometimes, she would get so angry, her voice would take on a waspish, harsh tone and she sounded akin to a hissing snake waiting to strike at the first opportunity. She was terrifying in these moments of fury.

One day he presented her with a gift. He had given her many, many gifts over the centuries, but this one was particularly special. It marked the first day they had made love during Beltaine in the field of flowers. It was a ring set with a blood-red stone. She took an immediate liking to it and wore it everywhere. He saw it as a symbol of their love, red for great passion.

* * *

They had slaughtered a great number of her people today. Constantine had claimed himself King over all Briton. Idath found her standing on the edge of cliffs, a great thunderstorm brewing around her. She was dressed in all black. He couldn't remember if he had every seen her wear black before or not. He tried to comfort her, but she hissed at him to leave her be. Idath felt a heavy foreboding as left her with her thoughts.

* * *

Queen Mab held the child in her arms. An old feeling, long forgotten, rising in her heart as she examined her son. She felt an old flame flare briefly inside her at the sight of him. "Merlin..." her voice whispered softly.

* * *

**I jumped through the timeline very quickly. There is probably at least 50 years in between each section. I think that's how it might feel to Mab though. Time moves very quickly for her because she has lived so long. PLEASE REVIEW!**

**Would you like me to continue through the timeline all the way to the end? Or go back and talk more about the past? or both?  
**


	3. Chapter 3

Her son had run away from her today and Ambrosia was dead. She had handled the entire situation badly and now it looked as though Merlin would never associate with her again. Normally, she handled all situations with coolness and poise, but when Merlin had attempted to strike her, it had stirred her blood with fury. How dare the little whelp attack his own mother? Who cared if that foolish witch Ambrosia was dead? She was mortal. It was bound to happen eventually and yet Merlin still blamed Mab for both Ambrosia's and his human mother's death.

Mab wandered like a silent ghost through the desolate, scorched fields of her country. Her thoughts were as bleak and dark as the landscape around her. She noticed a patch of purple flowers all alone in the middle of the blackened field. She stared for a moment overwhelmed by nostalgia. This was the exact spot she and Idath so many centuries ago had made love on the ground. Their act had permanently "purified" this particular spot where they had lain and flowers had grown there ever since despite the scorched earth around it.

Her dreams of the past and her thoughts of the present mingled and dragged more memories forth.

* * *

The dark-haired child approached her with caution. Mab perched on her throne as she watched the girl come closer. Leanabh reached the throne and boldly looked up into the face of her Queen. She met Mab's piercing green eyes and shuttered slightly, but did not look away. There was great time and age in those eyes. It was difficult to hold her gaze for long. Leanabh lifted up the goblet full of ceremonial wine towards her Queen. Mab smiled and drank deeply. But before the girl could move away from her, Mab reached forward and grabbed her face, searching the girl's clear eyes with her own.

Leanabh froze and didn't dare breathe, unsure of what her Queen was doing.

After a moment, Mab nodded slightly as though she had seen something that pleased her and spoke, "I will call you Ambrosia, for your face is refreshing to me."

* * *

Ambrosia was ecstatic. The day had finally arrived. She was to be ordained as a high priestess of the great Lady. She had studied for years for this moment and finally, at last, she would see her dream come true. The other girls around her braided her hair with flowers and painted mysterious symbols on her youthful, naked body. They pulled a white robe over her body to hide her markings until the ceremony.

Ambrosia approached a long line of priestesses. They were clothed in wonderful robes, each one a different, vivid color. They had formed two lines on either side of a great flaming trail of fire. She was to walk through this fire, sky-clad only, and reach Mab on the other side. She approached the beginning of the trail and dropped the white robe from her body. Her golden painted symbols glinted in the firelight. The first priestess spoke, "Ambrosia, you are pledging yourself to our Lady in a far deeper way than most people. If you are prepared for that, have no fear of the flames. The Lady waits for you on the other side. Think of nothing but her and you will reach the other side unharmed."

Ambrosia nodded, "I understand."

Ambrosia took one more deep breath of fresh air and then filled her mind with her thoughts and emotions towards her Queen. She stepped forward without hesitation into the flames. The fire engulfed her and she could not see, smell, nor taste anything else. She started to choke on the flames, and stumbled. The heat began to sear her skin. "Ambrosia..." came a quiet whisper and brought her back into focus.

At first, she thought the flames had whispered to her, but then she recognized the voice calling her from the other side. She walked forward fearlessly.

Ambrosia fell out of the flames and on to the sweet green grass on the other side. Her skin felt slightly warm, but other than that she was completely fine. "Ambrosia.."

Ambrosia looked up at the sound of her name into the smiling face of her Queen. Mab pulled her up from the ground and tenderly tucked a curl behind Ambrosia's ear. "I accept you." Mab spoke in a firm voice.

* * *

The Lady's laughter rang through the King's hall like quicksilver. King, still quite dazzled by her, looked over at the goddess sitting on his right surrounded by her chosen priestesses. He was the first king of Britain. Mab had managed to centralize the government in order to put an end to warring tribes and to protect Britain against the coming of a great foreign enemy she had foreseen. If Britain's populace was united under one leader, they had a greater chance of protecting themselves against the invading Romans lead by a man called Constantine.

Ambrosia sat near her Lady, her own genuine laughter mingling with Mab's. Ambrosia was now sixteen winters. She had only been with Mab two years since her ordeal. Soon enough she would have to forever part from her Lady's side and settle somewhere. Queen Mab only kept the youngest of high priestesses with her and the older priestesses were expected to settle down in a village that needed a priestess. But for the moment, it seemed like a fleeting dream to Ambrosia. In her mind, all her friends and her Queen would stay young forever and never have to part company.

* * *

Mab came out of her reverie and shook her head in disgust with herself. She stormed away, her mind already returning to her half-formed plans to make Merlin change his mind about helping her.

* * *

**More on the way, Review pretty please!**


	4. Chapter 4

His fingers ran softly down her spine as she arched her back in pleasure. Mab opened her eyes to gaze up adoringly at Idath. Her dark hair spilled over his bedsheets. Their bodies moved in a practiced rhythm. Since both of them were sleepless creatures, they never tired and never had to stop if they didn't want to. But all good things must come to an end.

"_Must all good things come to an end?"_

Idath's voice broke through her reverie. Mab's head snapped up and her eyes burned into Idath's with supreme annoyance. "What are you doing here?" she hissed at him.

"My dear, you have not come to see me recently. Have I upset you in some way?" Idath questioned with worry and tried to pull her into his arms. She moved back out of reach, but Idath pursued her.

"Let me love you." Idath pleaded.

"I don't have time for this. Constantine is ripping my country apart. Go away." Mab muttered quietly.

But Idath insisted and pulled her into his arms. He took her scrying stone from her and gently set it aside. She wrapped her arms around him and cursed him fruitlessly.

* * *

"Constantine's descent into madness spells doom for us all milady." Bane caught the bridle of her horse and held it while she gazed ahead at the castle.

"He murders without reason. Everyone would be happy to see him gone."

"I have a plan." his Queen responded.

Bane gazed up at her in hope.

* * *

The Saxon warlord watched his men revel in the wealth and riches of their last successful raid. There was gold, food, and drink aplenty. He leaned back comfortably in his throne eyeing the nearby women. Now if he could just secure some land to make a kingdom. He had everything a warlord could want, except land to call his own. But the Roman legions were too fierce. Even if he did succeed in capturing land, he would never be able to hold it for long. He would lose it as soon as the Romans sent soldiers to reclaim it. He gave a small sigh of frustration. "I can give you what you desire." a voice whispered behind him.

He jumped a mile and turned, looking for the person who could have possibly managed to sneak up behind him. He saw no one. He turned around and noticed his men peering at him curiously. The warlord sat back down and displayed a look of nonchalance for his peculiar behavior.

_Too much wine, my mind has started playing tricks on me. _he reasoned to himself.

He glanced causally to his right and flinched. A strange and fierce looking woman stood next to his throne, gazing out over his men with a measured look. He glanced back out at his men. No one seemed to have noticed this terrifying apparition standing next to him. He took another peek at her, hoping she had vanished and he wasn't truly losing his mind.

Now she was staring right at him. His eyes widened in shock and his mouth opened slightly.

She smiled devilishly and hissed, "Your men will notice if you keep gaping at a patch of thin air."

The warlord shut his mouth instantly and averted his eyes. "What are you?" he whispered, trying to speak without obviously moving his mouth.

"I can give you what you want." she offered, completely ignoring his question. "There are rich lands to the north of here across the sea. They are ripe for the taking, groaning under the tyranny of a Christian king."

He laughed aloud at this and a few people glanced at him bewildered. "You mean Briton. That's Roman land. I'll never be able to take it and keep it."

"Not so. The Empire has begun to fall apart due to its own corruption. They will pay no attention to Briton even if Constantine begs." She moved around to the front and stared down at him with intensity.

The apparition vanished silently right in front of his eyes, but her voice continued, "This is your chance, Vortigern..."

* * *

Mab gazed down sadly at Ambrosia's weaken, aged form. She was sick. Her priestesses were known for having a vitality and longer life than normal due to their deep connection with the fae. They rarely, if ever, became sick themselves. They were healers of the sick.

Everything was going wrong. Vortigern had betrayed her. He had killed a tyrant only to become a tyrant himself. She and Idath had had a terrible argument last week. Everything was spiraling out of control and she didn't know if she would be able to survive the crash.

* * *

**I'll keep writing this fic as long as I continue to have ideas for it. And yes I still have more ideas so this story is not finished yet.**

**If you have any ideas about Mab's past, no matter how small, message me and I might work it in.**

**REVIEW!**


	5. Chapter 5

There was a woman I often dreamed of in my youth. My Auntie A told me my mother had dark hair and green eyes. So I believed this woman in my dreams might be my mother. She was very beautiful.

One day I even got the chance to meet her. But then again, maybe it was just another dream.

* * *

Mab felt a strange calling in her heart. She couldn't recognize the peculiar feeling so it piqued her curiosity. She followed the tendril of emotion out into the human world.

What she found was a small child crying over a dead bird deep in the forest. Feeling strangely out of sorts, she decided to speak, "What is wrong?"

The small boy peeked up at her through his fingers and tears. "My friend won't wake up."

"It's dead."

"Dead? What is that?"

Realizing why she had been called here, she pulled her son into her arms. "He is flying free now...in another world."

* * *

Every person reaches a time in their life when they find out what paths have been laid before them, what fate has in store for them. I felt this keenly as I approached my destiny. The destiny embodied in a woman with pearly skin and crystalline eyes, her body frozen and rigid upon a throne of stone.

"Merlin..." the wind seemed to whisper, caressing every inch of exposed skin.

"Queen Mab." I stood nervously before her, unsure whether I should attempt to bow or not.

Apparently it was unnecessary for she came down from her high seat and approached me, circling me over and over like a bird of prey, like a moth to the flame, a lightening bug to a lantern.

"I have so much to teach you, my son."

* * *

Who knew one could writhe in pleasure as well as pain? Her magic struck him to the floor again and again. She mercilessly tore through his pathetic mental shields, inflamed his mind, struck him with fire, battered him with wind, and he could not defend himself.

And yet he could still smell the delicious scent of her skin, floating in the room. While his body writhed in pain from _her lesson_, it also shivered with desire for more. She was impatient as always, unforgiving of mistakes, but still filled with love and lust for him.

She finally battered him into unconsciousness.

* * *

Merlin woke to find manacles chaining him down. This was new. But she continued to introduce him to new forms of pain. He still had much to learn.

She covered his mouth with hers. Pulling his mind away from her intoxicating presence, he bit her. She pulled back with a snarl. But she looked pleased, excited at the prospect of fighting him into submission. She hated the game to end too quickly.

Her toy shuddered deliciously as she worked his clothes off and pressed her perfect naked form against his.

"Why?" he asked.

"Because you were made for me and only me." She kissed him tenderly.


	6. Chapter 6

My magic came from her, my flesh had been molded for her. Everything about me lured her in for a closer look. Tradition says the goddess gives birth to her son during yule, he becomes her lover at beltainne, and she mourns his death during samhaim. The wheel of life continues to turn in a never-ending circle.

But the circle has been broken. I have defied her and run from her. Now what happens..?

* * *

"Merlin?"

"Yes?"

"Are you finished?"

Merlin sat his book down on the table. "What do you want to do?"

"A picnic."

Merlin snorted. "That doesn't seem like you."

"Pretend it does."

She pulled him away from his books, reordered the world with her mind alone, and soon enough he found himself surrounded by trees with a picnic blanket waiting for them on the ground.

The blanket magically covered itself with an array of foods.

"You do know that real picnics have less variety of food. It's not a formal dinner." Merlin smiled at her, pulling her down onto the blanket with him.

"Oh." She concentrated, pulled a memory of picnics from his mind, and altered her presentation to fit his preconceptions.

"Does that match your expectation of picnics now?"

"Yes" he replied laughing at her obstinate desire to have everything perfect for him. He kissed her, but she gently pushed him away. "No, no sex today. That's not the purpose of this."

"Oh I see." Merlin lay down in the grass and pulled her down beside him so he could stare at her. She glittered like a crystal in the sunlight that fell through the leaves of the trees above them.

"I want you to eat something. Not stare at me mesmerized for hours." she complained.

"My lady has no desire for sex today, no desire to be stared at, what has come over you?" he teased her.

She crawled on top of him and tried to ram an apple down his throat for good measure. But he kept on laughing at her.

Both of them eventually calmed down.

Merlin plucked a strawberry from the basket and held it aloft.

"You eat it." she snapped at him.

"No, you're first" Merlin held it out tantalizingly, "in all things."

She eyed him for a second longer and then took a bite.

* * *

The first time she took me, the first time she broke me in, I'll never forget it.

My eyes curiously flitted over the ancient covers before me. This was her private study that contained her most precious and rare books.

"What did you want to show me?" I asked, as I reached out to touch a book that had caught my interest.

My hand jerked back as the book slid off the shelf and wiggled in midair in front of me. "You may borrow that if you wish."

Mab swept into the room as I turned around. "You asked me about Beltainne before. I wanted to show you what I meant."

She sat down on the couch and patted the space next to her. He sat down, wondering what would happen next.

_Look at me._

Merlin started with surprise. She was in his head. He looked at her and slowly fell into her green eyes.

She pushed into his mind memories of summer, memories of fire and dancing, and lovemaking...on past Beltaine nights.

He was overwhelmed by the feelings of passion and collapsed back with a gasp. She crawled forward on top of him and his skin felt like a fire had been lit. "Merlin...Merlin..." she breathed onto him. "Let me show you who you could be."

Tossing and turning, twisted up together, bent to her will, set ablaze by her eyes, frozen by her touch, strangled by her viciousness, and left aching by her love.

His chest heaved silently, his body left shaking with the magic she had pushed into him, her fingers still tracing magic along his skin, weaving a web he could not escape from. Not that his body hadn't responded in kind. Though he had no understanding of what he was doing, she knew how to show him. He knew when he hit a sensitive spot inside her for she gave a loud gasp. It only excited him more, caught up he was in her lust and power. "My power over you grows stronger yet." she hissed in his ear.

He lay shaking and numb in her arms for hours. Terrified and caught in her web of magic.

* * *

She had trained him and molded him like putty to her whims. Meanwhile, he had learned a great deal about her. How to fill her with lust, how to hurt her, weaken her, make her scream for him and curse him. She could bring him to his knees, but he could put her on her back, her body arched to meet his. "Merlin.." she hissed for his attention. "Get off of me. I have to go. You need to train and I have work to do as well."

She attempted to scrambled out from under him, but he pinned her down with his body. She snarled in frustration at him. He placed his hand on her stomach and shoved magic into her. She groaned deeply.

"You don't want to leave." His kisses trailed down her entire body. "You can't leave."

His crystal clear green eyes looked into hers. "Tell me you want to leave."

She merely glared at him, her throat locked with lies she couldn't speak. "I thought so." Merlin smirked at her and then leaned close to whisper in her ear. "My power over you grows stronger yet."

* * *

**Mab/Merlin lust-fest chapter. Those two were lovers during his time in the land of magic. Next chapter will be their falling out.**


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